Coronavirus in Mumbai: City's doubling rate goes from 10 to 14.5 days; BMC hopes to control the situation

BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal said that because of slowing down of doubling rate and the implementation of discharge policy, the civic body hopes to control the situation.

BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner, Iqbal Chahal BL Soni

Mumbai: Mumbai’s doubling rate of COVID 19 cases has slowed down to 14.5 days from 10 days. The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation will have to strive to achieve doubling rate of 20 days before the end of May.

BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal said that because of slowing down of doubling rate and the implementation of discharge policy, the civic body hopes to control the situation.

Besides, the civic body has also launched mass screening especially in densely populated areas and slums which will help detect and further quarantine or isolate the coronavirus patients.

Chahal’s statement comes against the backdrop of a presentation made by the Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Luv Agarwal who had suggested that BMC will have to step up implementation of coronavirus containment strategy by increasing screening, testing and detection to slow down doubling rate to 20 days by May end.

Agarwal had also predicted that the coronavirus positive cases in the city will surge to 41,000 by May 27 from the present total number of cases of 19967, including 5012 recovered/discharged and 734 deaths. As per the revised discharge policy, patients with mild symptoms of Covid-19 do not require testing at the time of discharge.

However, testing is mandatory only for discharging the patients who were critical. In case of asymptomatic patients, the laboratories have been directed to test only those identified by fever clinics or outpatient sections of private and government hospitals.

Further, BMC has restructured the containment zones in the city. Instead of the entire area declared as containment zone after the detection of COVID 19 positive patient, now the BMC will seal that particular building.

Chahal said the BMC is putting up 1 lakh beds to accommodate COVID 19 patients in jumbo facilities of which 50,000 bed capacity has been created.Inadditionto DOME in Worli, NSE Exhibition Centre at Goregaon and BKC, additional facilities are being put up at Mulund, Dahisar and Worli Aarey Dairy complex.